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Pokémon Sword and Shield
| image = | caption = North American boxart, featuring the legendary Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta | developer = Game Freak | publisher = | platforms = Nintendo Switch | artist = James Turner | series = Pokémon | released = November 15, 2019 | modes = Single-player, multiplayer | genre = Role-playing | composer = | producer = Junichi Masuda | director = Shigeru Ohmori }} are upcoming role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. They will be the first main series games in the eighth generation of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, and the second in the series to be released on a home console. The games are set for a worldwide release on November 15, 2019. Gameplay Several features which are new to the series were created for the game. These include cooperative raid encounters similar to those in Pokémon Go, open world area(s), "Dynamax" and "Gigantamax". The latter two enable Pokémon to temporarily grow to a giant size with Gigantamax being limited to select Pokémon and featuring different forms from Dynamax. A new mechanic called "Poké Jobs" has the player's Pokémon completing requests, such as assisting in construction or cooking, to gain experience or rare items. In addition, Pokémon native to the game's region will be able to be transferred to the game from the 3DS Pokémon Bank, Go, and Let's Go, Pikachu!/Eevee! via the Pokémon Home service. Pokémon Gyms make a return to the games after being absent in [[Pokémon Sun and Moon|''Sun'', Moon]], [[Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon|''Ultra Sun'', and Ultra Moon]]. The two versions will have exclusive elements between them, such as gym leaders and available Pokémon. Some features added in previous entries, like Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves, will be absent from the games. A 'Camp' mode was introduced allowing the player to spend some time interacting or playing with their Pokémon and to cook different types of curry which provide bonuses for Pokémon. Extra clothing customization's for the player character, like outerwear and other accessories, were also added. Plot Setting as viewed with north on bottom. ]] Sword and Shield take place in the Galar region, a large, narrow expanse of land and one of many regions in the Pokémon world. Shigeru Ohmori described it as more modern setting. The region itself and its many landmarks are inspired by Great Britain, such as Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and the Cerne Abbas Giant. The region begins with sprawling countryside towns featuring cottages and Victorian architecture. An Industrial Revolution-like city with steampunk-style elements populates the center of the region. Many of the region's towns and cities feature Pokémon Gyms stylized like football stadiums. Snow-covered mountains encompass much of the northern areas of the region. Encompassing a large portion of the region is the Wild Area, an open world area with numerous Pokémon. Weather across the Wild Area changes regularly. Much like Pokémon Sun and Moon, Pokémon previously introduced in older games, such as Weezing, gain variant Galarian Forms with new typings and appearances. Additionally some, such as Linoone, even gain regional evolutions. Story Similar to many previous entries in the Pokémon franchise, the player embarks on a journey to become the strongest trainer in the Galar Region. Starting alongside their neighbor and rival Hop, the player receives one of three Pokémon from the local Professor Magnolia. After receiving a letter of endorsement from Champion Leon, they face off against the Gym Leaders of each town, including Milo, Nessa, Bea, and Allister, and aim to take part in the Champions Cup. The gyms showcase Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokémon, implemented by the Galar Pokémon League Chairman, Rose. Development Development of Sword and Shield began immediately following the development of [[Pokémon Sun and Moon|''Pokémon Sun'' and Moon]] in 2016. This started with an initial concept phase that lasted for approximately a year before the games moved into full production. The idea of strength and striving to be the greatest and strongest was one of the core themes that Game Freak used in designing the game. This is expressed through the Switch's status as the most powerful console to run a Pokémon game, features such as Dynamaxing, and references to British folklore. The game's soundtrack is inspired by British rock music. The Switch's ability to render larger Pokémon models and better show size differences between species is the root of the Dynamax feature. The idea of "growing and evolving" is a core concept of the game—for both the trainer and their Pokémon—stemming from Producer Junichi Masuda and Director Shigeru Ohmori's experience with the franchise. Unlike other core Pokémon titles, not all existing Pokémon species will appear and be usable in Sword and Shield. Producer Junichi Masuda addressed this as a potential issue in a 2018 interview with GameSpot, at which point he said that "it does get complicated when you talk about the details and we're still figuring it out, but we do have plans to find ways to let players use their Pokémon in the next game." However, by 2019, after announcing the decision to limit the number of Pokémon in the games, he explained that they wanted to leverage the Switch's hardware and make the Pokémon more "expressive", but that the sheer number of species, combined with the need to produce assets relating to new features such as the Dynamaxing system, preserve balance, and maintain a degree of quality, made it infeasible to include all existing Pokémon without extensively lengthening development time. As such, only Pokémon that appear within the Galar region will be transferable from previous titles via Pokémon Home. Furthermore, the higher fidelity models had to be built from the ground-up as transfer from the 3DS platform was not possible. Release The games were originally teased through a special message by The Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara during Nintendo's E3 2017 presentation, where Ishihara mentioned that Game Freak was working on a new Pokémon core RPG for Nintendo Switch but it wouldn't release for more than a year. During a press conference held by The Pokémon Company in Japan on May 30, 2018, Junichi Masuda confirmed that the next brand new Pokémon core series game would release on Nintendo Switch in the second half of 2019. Ishihara also assured that the upcoming title would not have influences from Pokémon Go like [[Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!|''Let's Go, Pikachu!'' and Let's Go, Eevee!]] had, and that it would introduce many new Pokémon and "polished" graphics. Sword and Shield were fully unveiled on a special Nintendo Direct presentation on February 27, 2019, introducing the game's region and starter Pokémon. The starters are: Grookey, the grass-type starter, which is a simian Pokémon; Scorbunny, the fire-type starter, which is a rabbit; and Sobble, the water-type starter, which is a chameleon. The presentation coincided with Pokémon Day, a fan celebration of Pokémon on the anniversary of the Japanese release of [[Pokémon Red and Blue|''Pokémon Red'' and Green]]. A second Nintendo Direct about the game was held on June 5, 2019, which revealed some of its new features, characters and Pokémon, including the Legendary Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta, who appear on the box art. The release date of November 15, 2019 was also announced as a part of this Direct. Reception Pre-release The decision not to include all pre-existing Pokémon in the game drew criticism from many fans, who referred to it as "Dexit", a portmanteau of Brexit and Pokédex and used the hashtag "#BringBackNationalDex" to discuss the matter on social media. Fan backlash focused on the removal of a long-term feature, the discarding of the franchise's former tagline "gotta catch 'em all", and a perceived lack of improvements in other areas of the game, such as the graphical animations. A Nintendo Treehouse video for Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield received over 71,000 dislikes in 8 days, more than any other game at E3 2019, and some fans called for the games to be delayed until all of the Pokémon could be added. Writing for Polygon, Patricia Hernandez commented that "to some degree, the backlash makes sense" while adding that it had "gotten out of hand". Alex Donaldson of VG247 noted that feature creep—the increase of content in game sequels and potential loss of older features—finally reached Pokémon and long overlooked design shortcomings of Game Freak were brought to the forefront as a result. In discussing the overall backlash, Kotaku s Gita Jackson summarized it as "the tension of a desire to indulge in nostalgia against a desire to experience more complexity." Joe Merrick, webmaster of fan site Serebii, considered Dexit to have caused the most unrest among Pokémon fans since the troubled launch of Pokémon Bank in 2013. Masuda formally responded to the criticism on June 28, two weeks after it erupted, expressing appreciation for the love and passion shown by fans. He reiterated that the removal of certain Pokémon was a difficult decision to make and that they would be available in different games in the future. Michael McWhertor of Polygon noted that while Masuda's statement acknowledged the fans' discontent, it "not amount to much". References External links * Category:Upcoming video games scheduled for 2019 Category:Game Freak games Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games Category:Nintendo Switch-only games Category:Nintendo Switch eShop games Category:Nintendo Switch games Sword and Shield Category:Role-playing video games Category:Upcoming video games related to anime and manga Category:Video games developed in Japan Category:Video games featuring protagonists of selectable gender Category:Video games with alternate versions Category:Video games with cel-shaded graphics